23 Weeks

Please don't mind my lack of makeup and fresh from the shower hair. That's the best you'll get from me at 10pm.

How far along: 23 weeks

Total weight gain: 126lbs, up 14 pounds. Thank you El Vaquero.

Maternity Clothes: Still in all non-maternity clothes and using the Bella Band

Best moment this week: enjoying Memorial Day weekend in good ol C-bus.

Movement: little girl is still moving and shaking all the time, so much so that I think she's planning her escape early. Not too early though, please--I want to make sure my mat leave extends past the holidays!

Food Cravings: I fell victim to Cascadian Farms Dark Chocolate Granola. This stuff is like crack. I usually try to avoid it since I eat it all in a week, pregnant or not pregnant, but I just had to have it with my morning yogurt.

Sleep: I'm still battling exhaustion and my night owl bladder.

Milestones: baby girl is packing on the pounds and will double in weight the next four weeks. Let's hope the same isn't true for me.

Girl or boy: Girl!

Random: I'm pretty sure that we finally decided on a name :) I'm going to let it sit with me a while before we fully commit, but we're making progress people! Now onto tackling that nursery. Yeah, about that...

I have been cursed with varicose veins on my leg behind my knee. I am super grossed out by this and want them to disappear asap. I hope to God this fades away once I pop the baby out. My back is sore and I have a hard time sitting in a chair or in the car. Even with all the not so fun side effects I still love being pregnant :) Yes, I'm one of those crazy people!

19 Months

I've been a bad blogger. Memorial Day weekend was spent in Columbus swimming in pools, eating El Vaquero (four times), visiting the science center, and a million other fun things. Add in the awesome time at our three mile away from home beach and the damn yardwork and garden at home that could consume my life if I let it get the best of me, which I won't, and I've been MIA.

But now I'm back with Parker's 19 month report just mere weeks behind.

It's been another month of word explosions. Parker tries to pronounce everything we say and a lot of the time the words end up sticking in her vocabulary. This month she mastered:

-nose
-belly
-ah-pit (armpit...random, I know, but she's obsessed with mine)
-boke (broke)
-nuk (milk)
-cunchy (crunchies, my name for wheat germ. I get all excited about CRUNCHIES!!! Parker, do you want CRUNCHIES?!?! and sometimes it's all the push she needs to eat. I felt like a genius the day I figured out the power of wheat germ)
-care (chair. Parker is all about her booster seat and pushing in the "cares" after we're done eating)
-suck (stuck. Everytime we stop the car Parker lets us know that she's "suck" in her car seat)
-snap. Boy do we love to be snapped into things...the booster seat, the wagon, her trike...if it's got a snap, it's got Parker's name all over it
-Seba-a variation of our last name. Sometimes I add our last name when I'm yelling at Sydney to stop barking and it's caught on with Parker.
-duh (door)
-yuck
-asty (nasty, lol)
-ghos (gross)
-bee
-dirty
-kiwi
-oh no-
-sage (massage. Parker has this little thing that attaches to her vacuum that I massage her with. She will lay down on the couch and ask me to massage her)
-i sorry. If Parker bites us (yup, she's in that phase now) and I tell her that it hurts me she sometimes says "i sorry." Sometimes she laughs.
-uhstairs (upstairs/downstairs)
-eh-side (inside)
-down
-birdie
-papeh-toilet paper
-names of her friends at school

Just when I think the girl can't surprise me any more she starts with multiple word sentences. It started off with "up on mommy lap" and progressed to "it okay guh guh Sydney" when Syd was scared at the vet to everything else in between.

Parker walks down stairs by holding onto the stair railing. I didn't get the memo that you're supposed to teach kids how to safely go down stairs until a few weeks ago. Not that Parker would have been down with that. She hasn't been called a risk taker by daycare on occasion since 9 months for nothing.

We've graduated to the mattress on the floor and it's going okay. Parker still wakes up a couple times a night and usually ends up in bed with me. I was missing the late night cuddles though so I'm liking it. Plus I feel like we're making progress so it's time to go shopping for that toddler bed. I don't necessarily expect Parker to sleep through the night by the time baby girl #2 arrives but I would like it if she would let Kris lay her down. Baby steps.

We're working on colors and she knows yellow and purple. She's digging her blankie now and it's about on the same level as Baby Stella. She's into transferring things, like at El Vaq the other night. Parker needed to move the rice between two different plates, That was fun until the plate fell and broke. She loves when we sing Baa Baa Black Sheep and read the $17 paper copy of Brown Bear Brown Bear. If you take anything away from this blog let it be this--do not buy your toddler, or toddlers you know, expensive paper paged books. Unless you like crinkly and torn pages. In that case, knock yourself out.

I can't forget to mention the curls that have been around since 14 months. Oh how I love them.

The pigtails still get me every single time, though I don't like how they make her look like such a big kid.

We've experienced the picky eater side of Parker since around 14 months. I was 100% positive that since I fed Parker homemade, organic/natural food from the get go that she wouldn't stray from my culinary delights of steamed kale and sweet potato fries.

I was so wrong. Some days she suprises me though, like yesterday. I made Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Parker demanded the plain garbanzo beans. She ate a huge bowl. Parker also strayed from her vegatarian ways on Monday and dined on a few pieces of steak. And last night she ate the pasta I made with whole wheat spaghetti, crab, olive oil, green onions, garlic and red peppers. I just never know.

But one thing I do know is that she will always eat corn.

See that thing on the bottom of her plate? It's a Zucchini Tot--delish!

Slow down, pumpkin, you're growing too fast!

22 Weeks

How far along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain: Still at 124lbs, up 12 pounds. I've gained the same amount as I did with Parker so far but it's different. My slow and steady 1/2lb week gain with Parker is nowhere to be seen this pregnancy. I'll gain a bunch one week and either lose weight or gain nothing the next.

Maternity Clothes: I was planning on buying a maternity bathing suit but nope, I rocked my two piece at the beach last week. On both Saturday and Sunday. I still think that a pregnancy belly is much easier on the eyes than many other beachgoers in bikinis. Just sayin.

Best moment this week: spending all weekend at the lake. Parker loved splashing around in the water but wouldn't let her feet touch the sand. Crocs are a lifesaver.

Movement: I'm feeling constant movement now. I remember how weird it felt after I birthed Parker, to not feel her inside of me anymore. I'm going to enjoy every single kick and turn and jab before baby girl is out and about.

Food Cravings: not much at all this week. I had a craving for Cheetos but it wasn't enough to make me drive to the store to pick some up.

Sleep: I'm still exhausted but I get a burst of energy at the end of the night and it makes me need to do things. Bonus points if Gypsy Weddings is on so I can watch while doing these random things. TLC always sucks me in with their bizarre reality shows.

Milestones: baby's taste buds have developed and she can taste my amniotic fluid. She now has the sense of touch and is trying it out by feeling her face and the umbilical cord. A lot of growth is going on--she's about 11 inches long and weighs 1lb.

Girl or boy: Girl!

Random: Running is getting to be a bit tough. My belly is heavy so I think that I need some sort of belly support band. I want to keep running as long as possible so I'm not about to stop now. I just have to make sure that I get out first thing in the morning on the weekends because those crazy hot days are coming.

I feel so behind on this pregnancy, planning wise. I've bought some clothes, have all the bedding picked out on Etsy, and have a design scheme in mind, but that's it. We still don't have a name, though we're getting very close to deciding, and the nursery looks like a bomb went off in it.

We took Parker's crib down last week so it's in pieces in the nursery. There's a full bed in there, which may or may not stay. Since Parker didn't sleep in her room until recently and I'm planning on bedsharing with baby girl it probably makes sense to keep the bed in there for guests. A desk is also taking up space but Craigslist will solve that problem for us. Oh yeah, and my closet is now in that room. Kris and I have separate walk in closets in our master and mine is off the bathroom. Since the bath is being demoed and remodeled I can't get to my closet so I moved everything upstairs. I can't wait for the new spa-like bath because (1) I can take relaxing bubble baths and (2) I can get back into my closet!

Pinterest Project

Pinterest makes me anxious so I make myself limit my use of it. I'm a list person and I get great satisfaction from accomplishing something and crossing it off my list. To me, Pinterest is like a list. I check my boards and when I see 112 projects and 93 recipes that I've pinned it's omgihavetodoalloftheserightnow. And then I get overwhelmed.

But when I actually check something off my Pin-list I feel awesome. Much like when I finished this nifty growth chart.

The supplies: 1 x 8 x 6 board, paint pen, stain, and measuring things. I had Kris stain it before I got my hands on it. I wanted a very light stain to mimick a real ruler and the Natural color we picked got the job done.

I used this as my ruler to make all my lines. It worked like a charm.

The final product.

I am in love. All I need is something to hang it up with, which I'll pick up this week, and it will be proudly displayed in Parker's playroom. I have all her measurements from months past so I'm going to start around 12 months and go from there. At her well appointment on Friday she measured a full 34inches--95th percentile! I gotta get this thing hung before she outgrows it.

21 Weeks!

If it's not my boops, it's my belly she's after.

How far along: 21 weeks

Total weight gain: 124lbs, up 12 pounds. Sure enough, no weight gain the week before = 2lbs this week.

Maternity Clothes: I'm still hanging out in unbuttoned pants held up by the Bella Band. Going strong.

Best moment this week: Mother's Day :)

Movement: lots of it. Baby girl likes to kick in the same spot all the time, especially in the middle of the night.

Food Cravings: I wouldn't be craving anything if it wasn't for Pinterest. I made a batch of homemade soft pretzels (one of my many food weaknesses) and ate them all within 48 hours. I wasn't hungry. They were just that good.

Sleep: I've accepted the fact that I will never sleep through the entire night ever again.

Milestones: all facial features are formed, baby has started to grow hair and she can suck her thumb and yawn. She's about 7 inches and 11 ounces.

Girl or boy: Girl girl girl!

Random: I am exhausted again. Parker's been fighting the crib and since she flat out refuses to have Kris lay her down I'm always up to bat. Good thing we're moving the crib to the baby's room tomorrow because I think we've both had enough of it.

Mama's Day Celebration

It's official--Mother's Day is my favorite holiday. I was pretty sure this was the case last year but it was confirmed on Sunday. Homemade pancakes, walks outside, a painted pot with a pretty flower from Parker and Kris, a decorated flower pot and a picture Parker made at daycare, a new DSLR lens, a trip to the zoo, a recreation of one of my all time favorite meals--Mitchell's Shang Hai Sampler, and catching up on the DVR while downing bomb pops made this day awe.some.

We're at the zoo with all these amazing animals and what catches Parker's eye? Birdies.

Maybe if they run fast enough they can catch that bird.

Maybe next time.

Striking a diva pose.

Why hello, things that look like llamas.

You deserve a kiss blown at you.

I was hoping for a sweet mother-daughter picture in front of the polar bear exhibit.

What I got was picture proof of Parker's current obsession with my "boops."

Love my painted pot :)

And my card :)

And my decorated pot :)

And my new lens :)

Couldn't have asked for a better day.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all! I still have to upload some photos from yesterday so the full recap will come shortly. But to tie you over, our day at the park in photos.

Parker dominated the playground even though it was packed primarly due to one family with 8 kids. EIGHT! I couldn't help but gawk at the mother who was there by herself with all those kids. What type of car do you even drive at that point that has to seat at least 9? A conversion van? A school bus? Whatever it is it can't be pretty.

Parker likes to check out the other kids and then chase them. Or stand awkwardly close to them and stare.

Parker loves going down the slides herself. Thank God because I recently found out that taking a kid down the slide while on your lap can be dangerous. Dangerous as in their legs can get broken. This is the stuff that should be in baby books. Enough with how to get your baby to sleep (didn't work) and how to calm their cries (didn't work). I need this sort of information. While Parker enjoyed a lot of slides on my lap, baby numero dos will be deprived of such pleasure.

Always gotta have snacks on hand. Parker has become quite the picky eater the past four/five months so my diaper bag has transformed into a pantry. I've got it all--NutriGrain bars, Annie's bunnies, bananas, crackers, Veggie Straws, granola. I never know what's going to get Parker's approval and the worst thing is to have a toddler sobbing uncontrollably for "more snack."

We've made no progress in the playground purchase department. We're constantly at the local parks so we keep forgetting to buy a set for our own backyard. Must get on that.

Let's hope this day goes by fast. It's supposed to be a gorgeous day and I can't wait to frolic in the outdoors with the little miss. Happy Monday!

Half Baked!

20 weeks down, 20 (maybe more like 21, 22) weeks to go.

How far along: 20 weeks

Total weight gain: Still at 122lbs, up 10 pounds. No weight gain for the week. Good, right? Hardy har har. I know what's going to happen this week. I'll gain like 7lbs to make up for it.

Maternity Clothes: I still haven't caved and bought maternity pants yet. I wonder how long I can make it in my normal work pants...maybe the whole time?

Best moment this week: Feeling outside movement! I didn't feel Parker on the outside until 24w so feeling baby girl at 19 1/2w was a pleasant surprise. Last night I was in bed cuddling with Parker after she refused the crib and baby girl was kicking away. I don't think my smile could have been any bigger.

Movement: here and there

Food Cravings: not much. Kris did bring home ribs last night and while I can count on one hand the number of times I've ate ribs, I gobbled some up at 9pm.

Sleep: my bladder will be the death of me. I peed five times last night. Five.

Milestones: baby girl has settled into a sleep pattern and we have another night owl on our hands. Baby also has a favorite sleep position and really starts packing on the pounds from this point forward. She weighs around 10 ounces and is 6 1/2 inches long.

Girl or boy: Girl girl girl!

Random: I'm either sick or morning sickness is back. It's hard to differentiate between the two. I've been feeling blah towards the end of the night and puked up the abovementioned ribs this morning. As Parker would say, "gos" (gross).

20 weeks now...

20 weeks with Parker. My belly is definitely fuller and rounder this time.

I'm not the only one who's growing.

Baby girl at 6w.

12 weeks

19 weeks

Here's to feeling better before the jam packed weekend we have planned!

Couting Sheep

As I eluded too, something wild and crazy has been going on in the S house.

The crib is being used. That's right. My buyer's remorse over the expensive Naturepedic Organic Mattress that has been used a handful of times is getting better.

I knew it was time to end bed sharing when I got frustrated with Parker. I went to bed one night, absolutely exhausted and looking forward to lala land but little did I know that lala land was endless hours away. Parker wiggled, squirmed, kicked, knocked her head on the headboard, gently scratched my arms (this drives me insane. Love the kid, don't love the comfort scratching), played with her paci, talked about Siznee (Sydney), giggled, pulled off her socks, and generally acted insane. For hours. The exhaustion practically put me in tears. So at 2am I decided that we were going to switch to the crib. Pronto.

The next night I laid Parker in her crib and set up camp in the bed in her room. Since the little miss is slow to warm up to change I wanted her to know that when she woke up in a new place I was right there. I was sure this was going to be a battle but nope, Parker slept sans tears. Some nights are better than others. Like two nights ago she woke at midnight and I brought her in bed with me. Last night she woke up at midnight but I was able to lay her back in the crib. She slept until 6am. And I, for the first time in TWO YEARS (!!!!) slept longer than three hours straight. That coupled with coffee, which I usually save for the weekends but I'm a pregnancy rebel this go around, and the sunny day has me in the most chipper of chipper moods.

Next step in a couple weeks is a big girl bed. Parker is thisclose to climbing out of her crib, plus we'll be using her crib for nameless baby girl #2 so I'd like to make the switch soon. This is going to involve taking all toys out of the room and nailing the bookshelf to the wall so it will be quite the process at first. But we're getting there.

We're also getting to the point of having family photos of all of us looking upbeat and enthusiastic. Oh wait...

Why do you wackos have me in the garden? Why is the garden full of weeds? Why do I have a feeling that you're going to give me my pink princess shovel and pretend that shoveling weeds is the coolest thing since sliced bread?

Throwing the ball at the camera may end this photo session.

Well that didn't work.

One day I will have a photo shoot that doesn't involve tears and bribing. And that day better be in September because I have major photo plans for Parker and "baby sista."

This is just plain wrong

Kris and I played hooky on Monday. After the anatomy scan we dined on sushi and it was confirmed that I do have a crush on spicy California rolls. We picked up some drinks from Caribou along with some Coconut M&Ms from RiteAid. It's illegal for everyone not to try these since they are absolutely freaking delicious. It's like a little taste of Eskimo kisses ice cream. Sort of. Then we caught The Five Year Engagement, matinee style. All in all it was a good movie. Very funny, though sadly depressing at parts, but ended on a high note.

The bad part is when I decided to get an Icee. I love Icee's. You could say that I'm addicted. My head practically explodes when Icee's don't go my way. Like when I tried to get one at Target but the checkouts were down so I was screwed. Or when I went to 7-11 to try the Powerade Slurpee and they were out of it. Or when I tried to get a cherry and blue raspberry one the other night and I saw that god awful red light blinking indiciating that there was no red to go with my blue. And like any addict, I have to hide my obsession. I can't let Parker see it or she begs for "more wawa (water)" so I have to drink it at the perfect hidden angel in the car or hide it in a different cup and take swigs when her head is turned. It's pathetic how far I go.

I knew that the movies would never be out of Icee's though. But as I looked at the menu I saw the most horrible thing--the calorie count. It's listed right next to all the individual food and drinks so there's no avoiding it. Medium Icee--355 calories. Large Icee--475 calories.

I used to be a big calorie counter until I got pregnant with Parker. Then calories were just a mere thought in the back of my mind. That thought really got pushed to the back of my brain once Parker was here and I started nursing. I was able to eat ridiculous amounts of food, more than I ever did while pregnant, and still lose a ton of weight. Don't hate me for that though ;)

For obvious reasons I'm not counting calories now, but come on, people. I can't enjoy my Icee knowing the absurd number of calories in it. Just let me drink it in peace. If I was that concerned about low cal options I would have picked water. Which I sadly did. I just couldn't fathom drinking one after my monster sushi feast.

I'm not giving them up for good though because I'm sure the ones at Target are calorie free. Yep, let's go with that.

I'll leave you with more examples of the mischief that miss Parker gets into. I swear that I keep an eye on this kid but sometimes a girl has gotta do what a girl has gotta do. Like pulling things out from where food goes to die (bottom of the pantry)

And washing off my credit cards. Obviously they were quite dirty.

Stella must have been dirty too.

And Parker as well?

Side note: what can I use to wash dishes with besides these Scotch sponges? I feel like they are germy. Even though they get thrown in the dishwasher each night I don't know if that's enough. I don't use them all that often since I'm in love with my dishwasher but do need something to clean pots, pans, and knives.

Did you say germs, nommy? Uh oh.

Happy sunny weekend!

19 Weeks

No picture this week since I forgot, but next week I'm going to snap a shot right before I go to bed. My bump grows crazy big throughout the day and by night I'm slathering up with pregnancy body butter to stop the inevitable explosion of my stomach.

How far along: 19 weeks

Total weight gain: 122lbs, up 10 pounds. Dear God. My midwife's scale says I'm up 7lbs. Why don't we just go with that. Or maybe I'll just stop weighing myself and live in ignorant bliss.

Maternity Clothes: I bought a few cute, non-maternity, bump hugging tops in large this weekend. Parker went shopping with me and crawled out under the dressing room door while I was topless. Good times.

Best moment this week: Finding out that it's a girl!

Movement: a little bit of moving and shaking going on and a little bit of Braxton Hicks.

Food Cravings: fruits. I've been loading up on strawberries, grapes, blueberries and kiwis. I'm dying for some Pinkberry but the closest one is in Ann Arbor. Buuutt, on the next rainy day we can hit up the Hands on Museum and we will be right there. Come on rainy day!

Sleep: I was like a kid on Christmas Eve the night before the anatomy scan. I was so excited that I was up until 1130pm and was dead come 4pm the next day. I better stick to my no later than 1030pm bedtime.

Milestones: baby girl is packing on more poundage this week. Kidney's are formed and baby is about 6 inches long.

Girl or boy: Girl girl girl!

Random: I can't see my toes. I make weird grunts and huffing and puffing noises when I bend down, roll off the bed, and speed walk. I'm measuring a bit ahead so maybe this baby actually will make her appearance in September. Thanks to everyone who emailed, FB'd, and texted names I now have a list 18 names long. I can already tell that I'm going to be enemies with this summer. I'm the classic pregnant lady who gets overheated when outside for more than 2.5 minutes.

On a different note, here is why you don't leave the fridge open.

Or the pantry.